College of Medicine

- Admissions Overview
- - MD Program
    UNMC's rigorous academics, diverse clinical experiences and supportive environment put you on the path to becoming a skilled, compassionate physician.
  - How to Apply
    UNMC prepares medical degree students to meet the needs of patients through clinical practice, biomedical science and research, problem-solving and compassion.
  - Contact Us
    Review contact information for the Office of Admissions and Student Affairs in the College of Medicine at UNMC.
  - Verification and State Licensure
    Review opportunities for state licensure following completion of the MD program in the College of Medicine at UNMC.
- - MD-MBA Program
    A combined MD-MBA degree equips you with the tools you need to become highly skilled in both management and medicine.
  - MD-MPH Program
    Pursue your passion for public health and medicine with a combined MD-MPH and help solve complex health problems.
  - MD-PhD Program
    Do you have a passion for caring for patients and for research? Consider the dual MD-PhD degree.
- Education Overview
- - Curriculum
    Our curriculum produces physicians whose foundation in basic, clinical, and health systems sciences prepare them to promote health and reduce patient suffering.
  - Graduation Requirements
    Review requirements for students pursuing an MD at the UNMC College of Medicine to graduate and receive their degree.
  - Objectives
    The objectives of UNMC's medical degree program are to prepare you for success in primary care or specialty fields.
  - Service Learning
    Active participation in community service provides critical opportunities to apply skills and knowledge gained in medical school and develop a sense of empathy.
- - Enhanced Medical Education
    Enhanced Medical Education Tracks offer medical students an opportunity to perform an in-depth study of an interdisciplinary field of medicine.
  - MD Honor’s Thesis Program
    The MD honors thesis encourages students to engage in scientific research during medical education and become eligible to graduate with honors.
- Research Overview
- Internal Grants
  The College of Medicine has a variety of research-related grant and award opportunities available to UNMC faculty.
- Comparative Effectiveness Research
  The Comparative Effectiveness Research (CER) program identifies knowledge gaps in the effectiveness of clinical care and improves CER in these areas.
- Great Plains IDeA-CTR
  The Great Plains IDeA-CTR is a collaborative effort between nine regional institutions that provides training, resources. and funding to regional researchers.
- Research and Development Committee
  The Research and Development Committee handles funding opportunities for faculty, including the Bridge Funding program, and student research opportunities.
- Student Opportunities
  The College of Medicine provides a variety of research opportunities for both current and prospective UNMC students.
- Residencies & Fellowships Overview
- Graduate Medical Education Programs
  UNMC's dozens of programs--including nearly 20 in internal medicine--allow residents and fellows a variety of specialties.
- House Officer Resources
  Find information for residents and fellows, including salaries, benefits and nearby housing.
- House Officer Wellness
  Wellness resources for residents and fellows include an assistance program and a private wellness lounge.
- Research
  We aim to facilitate house officers’ involvement in research in the areas of patient safety, quality improvement, healthcare disparities and education research.
- Salary and Benefits
  Paid vacation and professional leave, health insurance and meal allowances are just a few of the benefits residents receive in addition to their yearly salary.
- Contact Us
  Reach out to the Graduate Medical Education office for information about benefits, contracts, orientation or graduation.
Departments

Kyle J. Hewitt, PhD

Associate Professor, Department of Genetics, Cell Biology, and Anatomy
Co-Director, Molecular Genetics & Cell Biology PhD Program
Director, Single Cell and Spatial Transcriptomics Core

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Phone: 402-559-4689

Dr. Hewitt's research is focused on understanding mechanisms of stem cell self-renewal and differentiation, genesis and maintenance of stem/progenitor cells in hematopoiesis, and how aberrant control of cis-regulatory elements can lead to anemia and leukemia. His lab has discovered GATA transcription factor target genes, including the Sterile Alpha Motif Domain-14 (Samd14) gene, which promotes cell signaling and red blood cell regeneration via receptor tyrosine kinase signaling. Dr. Hewitt's laboratory uses human and mouse cell assays, genetic mouse models, leukemia cell lines, and computational approaches to discover new pathways and mechanisms of regenerative hematopoiesis and leukemia.

Education

Post-doc, University of Wisconsin-Madison
PhD, Cell, Molecular, Developmental Biology, Tufts University
BA, Biology, Colorado College

Research

The Hewitt Lab is working towards developing a systematic view of cis-regulatory transcriptional control mechanisms – and their impact on hematopoiesis – during physiological and regenerative conditions. To investigate cis-regulatory mechanisms that guide physiological and regenerative blood formation, they are particularly interested in how gene regulation is controlled during the differentiation of all the varied cell types that exist in the blood system, the role of the GATA family of transcription factors in development, and diseases that arise from deregulated transcription factor activities including chronic anemias and leukemias.

Outstanding questions:

How do GATA transcription factors coordinate red blood cell regeneration in anemia and leukemia?
What are the features that dictate the function of cis-regulatory elements in erythroid and myeloid progenitor cells?
How do signaling pathways coordinate up- and downstream cellular activities through common intermediates in stress?

Major ongoing projects in the lab include the determination of cis-regulatory control mechanisms in erythroid regeneration, and the coordination of cell signaling to regulate transcriptional activation and progenitor activities. See research page for more details.

Selected Publications